Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Donna of the Dead Blog Tour–Excerpt and Giveaway

Thanks for visiting my stop on the Donna of the Dead blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours! No way was I going to pass up the opportunity to promote a zombie book with my name in the title! With such a fantastic cover, awesome title, and an author with such impeccable character-naming skills, this book is bound to be a spectacular read! And to prove it, below is a small excerpt from Donna of the Dead so you can see for yourselves! Also, be sure to enter the fabulous giveaway and visit the rest of the stops on the tour~ ~ ~

The Excerpt

I wake with a start. Something’s wrong. The light in the bathroom is off. Thick, heavy darkness presses in on me. The whole building is in an uproar. Kicks and thuds ring out from some other part of the Arts Complex. People shout and feet pound through the halls. My voices chant the same word over and over: desks desks desks.

Crap. Must be time for the next zombie attack.

I flounder in my pockets for my trusty cell phone and flip it open. Nothing rushes me, so I figure that’s a good sign. I flash the blue light toward the corner and the other side of the toilet. No one. Then I shine the light on the door. Still locked. Whew.

Okay, I decide, whatever’s happening, I am facing it in a clean shirt. I shimmy out of my tee and into Phoebe’s. She is, well was, a bit skinnier than me, but I don’t have any trouble sliding into her “size small” today. Too little food and too much running will do that to a person, I guess.

I almost bust straight out the bathroom door before I remember the unexplained power outage, and the commotion in the hall, and the fact we’re in a building surrounded by the walking dead. Slowly, carefully, I unlock the door, and crack it open. The hallway is dark. I am not crazy about the idea of sticking my cell out the door to check for zombies. I have visions of my entire hand being bitten off with the phone still clutched in my fingers.

Aiming my light through the crack in the doorway, I shine its beam toward the right side of the hall. It casts a spooky blue glow down the long corridor. Empty. I sweep the phone back toward the left. A face zooms toward me, lightning fast.

I yelp and drop the phone.

“Donna! Relax, it’s just me.”

“Deke! I’m gonna kill you! You scared me to death!” With his dark hair, tan skin, and black tee, it’s hard to distinguish him from the inky background of the hallway.

Deke cackles with laughter. “Small price to pay after making me wait two hours for you to come out of the bathroom.”

“You’re so stupid! What if I’d thought you were one of them and tried to kill you?”

He rolls his eyes at me, “Yeah, right. I can see that happening. What were you gonna do? Throw your phone at me?”

“I hadn’t gotten that far in my game plan.”

“That’s the problem, Donna. You never have a game plan. And that’s why I’m forced to sit outside the women’s restroom to make sure you’re safe.”

The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy head cheerleader, and—best of all?—Lance, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Lance is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…

About Alison:

Alison Kemper grew up in South Florida, the only girl on a street with eleven boys. She spent most of her childhood paddling a canoe through neighborhood canals and looking for adventure. She usually found it. Sometimes the police were involved. And large dogs. And one time, a very territorial snake. She now lives in North Carolina and writes books. The books often include girls having adventures. With boys. Cute boys. And cute dogs too. But no cute snakes. Never cute snakes.

Her debut novel, Donna of the Dead, will be published by Entangled Teen in 2014 and followed by two companion novels. She loves to meet new people and talk books, so send her a friend request or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

Giveaway Details

15 Zombie Swag Bags that include $5 Amazon card, Donna of the Dead mints (don't get caught with zombie breath) and exploding eye gumballs (they squirt red goo when you bite into them, but are surprisingly delicious)!

FTC Disclaimer - I do receive some books directly from the authors or publishers for review purposes. Each review posted is my own personal opinion and any books I accept are not guaranteed a positive review. I do not receive monetary gain from reviewing those books I accept.

I include affiliate links to Amazon in my reviews and other posts. Those links will take the reader to Amazon.com and I do receive a small percentage of each purchase.

FTC Disclaimer- I do receive some books directly from authors/publishers for review purposes only. Each review posted is my own personal opinion and any books I do accept for review are not guaranteed a positive review. I do not receive any monetary gain from reviewing or promoting these books.